Doug's Valentine
by Queen of Spiritual
Summary: Doug wants to buy a surprise for Patti for Valentine's Day. He thinks the right surprise would be jewelry. What would Patti like is his question. With Skeeter's thoughts, Doug hopes this is the right gift.
1. Chapter 1

Note: I know this is a bit short, but I will update whenever I can, so enjoy this new story.

Valentine's Day is coming near. I, Doug Funnie was planning to spend Valentine's Day evening with the girl I always loved since I first met Patti Mayonnaise. Today I am in my early twenties. At this age, I don't plan to get married anytime soon. When I do, I'm waiting for the right time to do just that. I am still living here in Bluffington. So is Patti, but we haven't seen each other for a while. I already came up with an idea what I wanted to spend Valentine's Day.

My best friend, Skeeter Valentine, is also still in Blufftington. He doesn't yet know what I planned to do this year for Valentine's Day. I decided to call him. He was home, so we had a nice conversation.

"Hi, Doug. How have you been?" Skeeter asked.

"I'm fine. Valentine's Day is on my mind at the moment."

Valentine's Day wasn't that far away.

"What are you thinking, Doug? You can tell me since I'm your best friend."

What Skeeter just said was so true.

"All right. I would love to spend the Valentine's Day evening with Patti."

"Does she know anything about it?"

"Not yet, but I'll call her."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could stay at my house. I do have a surprise in mind."

"Do tell, Doug. I'm listening."

And he was, I told myself.

"I have been visiting a jewelry store here in Bluffington. I am thinking of buying a pair of earrings or a ring."

"That does sound romantic, Doug. I'd like to see what you pick out."

"You will get the chance, Skeeter."

"Are you trying to tell me I could come along and tell you what I think?" Skeeter asked.

"Yes, Skeeter. How about if you come with me and you can help me pick it out for Patti."

"I like the idea, Doug. Have you looked at the prices?"

"Not yet. I will when I visit the store there."

"If I were you, Doug, I would look at the prices before choosing anything."

I only thought of saying, "Duh."

"When would you like to come along with me, Skeeter? The jewelry store I looked in was the Bluffington Jewelry Store."

"They do have a good selection of jewelry there, that's for sure."

There was no arguing with Skeeter on that one.

"I'll let you know when I'm going over there again, Skeeter. We'll go from there."

"Okay. If you do show me what you like, I'll do my best to tell you my thoughts."

"I'd like that, Skeeter. I'll call you again soon."

"Okay, Doug. It was nice talking with you."

"Same with you, Skeeter."

End of conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

At lunch, I ate with Patti. Not once has Patti figured out about my secret crush on her. I wasn't so sure what would happen if I told her. Skeeter wasn't around when Patti and I were eating.

"Patti, what do you have planned for on Valentine's Day?"

"Nothing now. Why did you ask?"

"I was just wondering. Maybe you and I can get together."

Today was Friday afternoon, so I had plenty of time to ask her.

We were eating lunch at the Honker Burger. As usual, they were busy. Anyway, Mom and Dad were going out to dinner on Valentine's Day while Judy went to the movies with a few friends of hers.

"I would love that, Doug."

"We'll talk about the time now if you want or wait until Valentine's Day and go from there."

"Are your parents and Judy going to be around if I come over?"

"Of course not. They will be celebrating Valentine's Day without me involved, so I thought it would be a good idea to have some time alone with you. Judy will be at the movies with some of her friends. Mom and Dad are celebrating because they got married on Valentine's Day."

"How romantic, Doug. What time would you want me to come over?"

"Would five – thirty work? Judy is going to meet her friends at the movies, but their movie starts a little after six, and Mom and Dad will leave about five – fifteen."

"That could work. Are you sure it's all right with your mother and father know you invited me?"

"Not yet, but I'll mention it to them."

"I'll tell my dad I will be spending Valentine's Day with you for the evening. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"He normally is good about that, Patti. He's a good guy."

"Of course he is. I'll be sure to tell him that."

"You could call me if plans change."

"I plan to do that, Doug. You do have a nice family."

"Thank you, Patti."

I looked at the clock at the Honker Burger. It told me the time was now 1:23 PM. If I wanted to surprise Patti with some jewelry for Valentine's Day, now was the time and it wasn't very far away. I didn't have much time left. I'll ask Skeeter to come along. I didn't talk to Skeeter until the evening. I called him up.

"Hi, Doug. How did you and Patti enjoy lunch at the Honker Burger?"

This was the greeting my best friend gave me today.

"It went well, Skeeter. I don't have much time to decide what to get Patti as a surprise. I wanted to see if you would come along and give me an opinion."

"I'd be happy to come with you, Doug. We better visit the jewelry store again tomorrow."

"That's why I was calling you, Skeeter. Patti said she didn't have anything planned, so at least it would be the right time for me to surprise her with the jewelry. Mom and Dad will be out of the house since it's their wedding anniversary. Judy wont' be at home either."

"No wonder it was a perfect time for you and Patti to be alone."

"That's why I invited her."

"What will Judy be doing?" Skeeter asked.

"She and a few of her friends will be visiting the movie theater."

"Do you know what movie she's planning to see?"

"No, I don't. Do you think I care?"

"Probably not. Has she said anything about he movie if the story was supposed to be good?"

"She didn't give details, Skeeter. I'm sure she will tell me when she returns."

"True, Doug. What time would you prefer to meet me at the jewelry store?"

"Would ten – fifteen work?"

"That works perfectly. I'll see you then."

That was the conversation I had with my best friend. Roger better not be around when Skeeter and I will be at the jewelry store. I don't want him to ruin my surprise to Patti and tell her about the visit I was doing to share with his friends. Still it could happen, I told myself. After my conversation with Skeeter, I paid a visit to my journal.


	3. Chapter 3

I kept my promise by meeting Skeeter at the Bluffington Jewelry Store like we planned over the phone. He wasn't there yet, so I decided to wait for him until he showed up. I only walked back and forth the jewelry store until my best friend showed up.

"Hi, Skeeter."

"Hi, Doug. Have you walked in there yet or did you just get here?"

"No, I haven't walked in, Skeeter. I decided to wait until you came so we can see what we both like."

"Good idea, Doug. Are you ready to go in?"

"Yes," I answered.

So Skeeter followed me inside. It looked like Skeeter and I were the first ones there from what I saw.

"Let's start with the necklaces, Doug."

"I think that's a good place to start," I agreed.

So we walked over to the necklaces. Mom and Dad both knew Patti was coming over to spend the evening with me.

The jeweler looked busy. He was on the telephone taking orders from other customers, so all he did was wave at us. We waved back as we walked over to the necklace section. I decided not to give Patti something that wasn't expensive. I already knew as a fact that some jewelry isn't expensive or real, but I decided to play safe in case I overpaid a price I couldn't afford, and that did make a lot of sense. I had never thought if Patti liked real jewelry or not so Skeeter and I started with the necklaces.

I decided to go through the bracelets as well. Some of the necklaces were better than some of the bracelets. I came across a fake ruby bracelet. I joined Skeeter and see what he thought of my choice.

"Did you find something, Doug?"

"I'm not sure, but what do you think of this bracelet?"

I held up the bracelet so Skeeter could have a better look.

"I like it. Is that real or not?" Skeeter asked.

"I don't know."

The jeweler already put the phone back in its spot so he could help us.

"Is that bracelet real or fake?" I asked.

"It's fake, young man. Are you planning to pick something out for somebody special?"

"Yes, sir. It's for a Valentine's Day gift, but I want to surprise her."

I thought leaving Patti's name out made sense, and Skeeter agreed also.

"How much is the bracelet?" I asked.

"It is twenty dollars. We do have earrings that match the bracelet."

I looked at Skeeter. He liked the idea. I did have a twenty dollar bill, so that was all I had left in my wallet.

"The earrings are less than the bracelet. If you buy both, the price will be down to fifteen dollars," he told us.

"What do you think, Skeeter?"

"Go for it. At least you chose something that wasn't expensive."

I had to agree.

"Since it's Valentine's Day, fifteen dollars is the best offer for you."

"That makes sense," I agreed as Skeeter nodded.

"Would you like these gift wrapped?'

"That would be great," I answered.

Skeeter and I watched as he took the bracelet from my hands and we watched him put a pair of earrings as well. I paid my twenty dollars when he finished wrapping Patti's gift.

"Thank you, sir," I said.

He took my twenty dollars and gave me five dollars change.

"Thank you for visiting us today. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day," Skeeter and I said at the same time and left the store.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, Doug?"

"No. At least Patti would be surprised when she opens this box."

Skeeter agreed.

"What time does Patti come over?"

"Before Mom and Dad leave. Judy will be gone by then."

Skeeter and I spent some of the afternoon together and then he left before one in the afternoon. I did walk him to the front door.

"See you later, Doug. Tell Patti happy Valentine's Day from me."

"I will."

After I slammed the door after him, I was able to have some time alone until Patti showed up. I didn't feel nervous at all.

Mom and Dad saw Patti's box.

"What's inside the box, Doug?" Dad asked.

"A bracelet and matching earrings. The jeweler said they come together, so there was no way to turn down that offer. Since today is Valentine's Day, he made it a special offer."

"How much were these?" Dad asked.

Ever since I was a kid, I learned a lot about money.

"The bracelet was twenty, but he did say there were earrings that matched the bracelet were fifteen dollars. So he gave them to me at that price. All I did was get back five dollars in change."

"That's a fair price, Doug. When you're older, you can start spending one hundred dollars. This is the place to start."

"That's a fair price, Doug. When you're older, you can start spending one hundred dollars. This is the place to start."

Mom agreed with Dad.

When they left, I told myself I chose the right gift for Patti that wasn't expensive. Judy left around five – fifteen since she was going out to eat with her friends and go from there. Patti showed up right on time. Her dad watched her walk up to my front door safely. I knew this because I was watching from the window. Mom and Dad were almost finished getting ready when I let Patti inside.

Note: Up next we'll look at Doug and Patti's evening. Hope you enjoy this latest chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Enjoy this romantic chapter with Doug and Patti. I thought there was no need to involve Skeeter to hear about this chapter, but I thought this was a good way to end the story. Happy reading!

Once I finished slamming the door, Mom and Dad were already in the living room.

"We're on our way, Doug. We should be back soon."

"Take your time, Mom. It is your anniversary after all."

"Hello, Patti. How is your Valentine's Day?" Mom asked.

"It's going really well, Mrs. Funnie. You both can go and Doug and I will be on our own."

"All right. You both have a great time."

Dad was the one who said that, but they both gave me a hug and then left.

"Patti, is there anything I can give you?"

"I'm fine for now, Doug. I had a couple glasses of water before I left."

"Great. Would you like to open a gift now or do you want to wait until later?"

"Later will be best, Doug. I'm sorry I didn't bring anything for you. Dad and I just finished paying our bills, so there wasn't much money left for me to give anything for you. I'm sure you'll understand."

"I'm not disappointed, Patti. You and I have each other this evening, and I'm happy to spend it with you."

"That's really sweet of you to say that, Doug. I was looking forward to this evening also."

"Would you like me to call up a pizza for us now?" I asked.

"That will be great."

We both walked into the kitchen. I took the telephone and ordered the pizza.

"Patti, the pizza will be here in fifteen minutes. Is that fine with you?"

Dad was the one who said that, but they both gave me a hug and then left.

"Patti, is there anything I can give you?"

"I'm fine for now, Doug. I had a couple glasses of water before I left."

"Great. Would you like to open a gift now or do you want to wait until later?"

"Later will be best, Doug. I'm sorry I didn't bring anything for you. Dad and I just finished paying our bills, so there wasn't much money left for me to give anything for you. I'm sure you'll understand."

"I'm not disappointed, Patti. You and I have each other this evening, and I'm happy to spend it with you."

"That's really sweet of you to say that, Doug. I was looking forward to this evening also."

"Would you like me to call up a pizza for us now?" I asked.

"That will be great."

We both walked into the kitchen. I took the telephone and ordered the pizza.

"Patti, the pizza will be here in fifteen minutes. Is that fine with you?"

"Of course it's all right with me, Doug."

Patti and I both walked back to the living room together. I turned on the television set. I flipped through the stations to see if there was anything that looked good. There wasn't anything that interested me, so I shut the TV back off.

"Why did you do that for?" she asked.

"Nothing looked good. Would you be interested in listening to any music instead?'

Patti agreed to my suggestion.

We looked through some CDs my parents kept. Back then, Mom and Dad didn't have CDs like we do now. I looked at the songs on each CD and read them to Patti.

"Here are our choices, Patti:

"Frank Sinatra's 'The Way You Look Tonight,' The Platters' 'Twilight Times,' Marie Osmond's 'Paper Roses,' Marie Osmond's 'Love Speaks Louder Than Word,' Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton's 'Islands in the Stream,' George Jones and Tammy Wynette's 'Golden Ring,' and Conway Twitty's It's Only Make Believe.'"

It was all I could think of, but I didn't want the list to get too long and bore Patti.

"Those are good choices, Doug. I'm not familiar with any of them, so we can go from there."

I saw that as a good sign that Patti agreed. I grabbed those CDs when the pizza arrived.

"Would you mind holding these for me, Patti? I'll get the pizza."

Patti took the CDs from my hands. She stayed where she was while I grabbed the door and paid for the pizza. I took the CDs out of Patti's hands when we walked into the kitchen. At least I was collecting the CDs gently from her hands. I thought the best song for the moment was 'Golden Ring.' It was a new song to me, and it sounded like a romantic song to both of us.

Patti followed me inside the kitchen. I grabbed the plates and some fruits and vegetables to go along with it. Patti thanked me when I gave a plate to her.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, Patti?"

"Not now, Doug. But thank you for asking," she answered politely.

After 'Golden Ring' ended, we listened to Marie Osmond next. An hour or so later, I gave Patti a kiss on the lips, which she liked.

We heard the front door slam after I watched Patti open my gift. It was Judy.

"I thought you wrre supposed to be at the movies," I told my sister.

"It was sold out, so we decided to end our evening. We were looking forward to it," Judy said.

Judy looked and saw as Patti finished opening my little box.

"Doug, you didn't have to do this," she said, looking at the bracelet and earrings.

"I wanted to, Patti. This shows you're special to me."

Judy already left before I said that to Patti.

"That's really sweet of you, Doug. This evening was special. I enjoyed spending the evening with you. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I promised to help Dad with something."

"No problem. Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Thank you for the offer, Doug, but I can go alone tonight. You can do that next time."

I walked to the door with Patti. I gave her a kiss.

"Thank you for the lovely evening, Doug."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"See you Monday," Patti said.

I said the same thing back. Tonight turned out to be one of the evenings I ever enjoyed.


End file.
